The Augmented Regiment, Book one: Gregoria's War
by Gill45
Summary: An inquisitor decides that a backwater world plagued by orks is the Ideal location to field test his latest project. This is a story about Eachann an enhanced human and the war he and his friends fought to save his home.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: This is a piece of fan work made simply for the sake of entertainment and not for profit. The Warhammer 40.000 franchise belongs to Games Workshop, please buy their stuff.

This is a story about war.

Because of course it is. This is the 41th millennium after all what else did you expect?

Prologue.

The Imperium of Man.

Some may say that it is great and mighty, others claim that it is crumbling and is nothing but a mere shadow of its former self, filled with corruption and taint. I personally have no idea which is the case to be honest, nor do I really care all that much.

But there is one thing about the imperium I can say with absolute certainty though: It is big. And I mean really, unimaginably, incomprehensibly big. Spanning a sizable area of the Milky Way Galaxy containing countless worlds and star systems. Luckily for me I don't have to cover the events of this whole intergalactic mess in this story. This one is just about me, my friends, some other people and the small part we played in this mad universe.

So let us zoom in for a second. Since one thing tends to lead to another it sometimes is very hard to tell were exactly a story first begins. Especially when it became possible by multiple factors coming together at the right time to and place to form one great chain of reactions.

But one of the most vital story threads of this tale started at an orbital station by a major trading hub of the Segmentum Tempestus where a rather nondescript Imperial trading vessel called: The Scream Of The Void, had just docked.

No one except a select few aboard this vessel knew that it held a series of well-hidden rooms, who for a change weren't used to store illegal smuggling wears, not all of them at least. One of these rooms held an office.

It was well decorated in a subtle wealthy way that indicated both form and function. Its only occupant was sitting behind a dark wooden desk studying various data slates that had discretely been delivered to him a few hours ago when the ship landed. His name was Valeur Raldon and he was an Inquisitor.

Lord Raldon was reading the final reports of years of research done by his servants and his agents spread across the stars. These contained the distilled information and characteristics of various Imperial worlds around the Segmentum. From things like history and government to environment and weather. Everything was carefully reviewed and analysed.

He read slate after slate in rapid succession, dismissing some of the worlds immediatly and labelling others for some more in depth study. Then, halfway through the fifth slate he paused, reread a couple of sections, and then he nodded satisfied.

When Raldon inserted the slate in question into a data port that has been installed into the desk itself a low humming briefly filled the room, before a hololithic projector sprung to life on the floor in front of him. It showed a two-meter-tall 3-dimensional image of a world, projected to the finest detail. The title floating above the hololithic Globe described it at the second planet of the Archibalt system named: Gregoria.

The surface of the planet had a rather curious look to it. Most of it, at least eighty percent, was covered with deep turbulent oceans. What little landmass there is consisted primarily out of two large continents, one in the northern and one in the southern hemisphere, lying parallel to each other. Septen lied in the north and Meridia in the south. Even one not versed in the finer points of geology could see that the two used to be one great body of land before geological shifts had slowly begun separating them long ago. There was still is a large group of islands drifting in the narrow sea separating the two continents at about the height of the equator. The overall image reminded him of an hourglass that had been roughly snapped in half, with sand spilling out.

The Inquisitor pressed a few runes on his desk and the natural look of the world disappeared to be replaced with manmade borders and coloured areas, indicating different states and small independent nations, highlighted by the names and locations of various major cities. Many symbols and columns of information appeared as well.

Gregoria seemed to be a rather unremarkable world in the grand scheme of the Imperium, as it had a relatively low population, very little advanced technology and no specialty regarding its overall role in the sector like providing food or technology for other planets. It was a backwater world with almost no space traffic, even though it was located near the busy Imperial border system of Carnadon. Simply because very few trading vessels bothered to stop by this place on their way there, turned it into the kind of place you travel through on your way to somewhere else.

The only regular contact Gregoria seemed to have had with the rest of the imperium is the submission of soldiers for the Imperial Guard, which has not happened for a few generations at this point.

The inquisitor took this in for a moment before pressing another rune. A sizable part of the map turned green, starting at the largest of the islands at the equator before gradually spreading out to both continents.

When WAAAAGH! Gorehead first invaded the sector and began its attack on the Imperial frontier worlds, a single Ork ship, by what probably amounted to sheer chance, managed to find its way into the Archibalt system instead. After it was done amusing itself with destroying what had laughably passed for the Gregorian space defence force, the large ship had briefly turned its attention on the world's only city that had any orbital defence, namely Leganfall, its capital. After throwing enough energy and ammunitions at it to not only overwhelm the city's shields but also to turn most of it and the surrounding area into a smoking crater, the ship had left. Probably growing bored when it found nothing else to fight and wanting to rejoin the great WAAAAGH! in the nearby system, but before leaving it launched a sizable amount of drop pods towards Gregoria almost as an afterthought.

These made their way through the atmosphere to the surface of the planet to land in the ruined craters of the capital. And here the people of Gregoria made their first great mistake, the one that countless doomed humans had made before them. They underestimated the Orks.

Instead of unifying against the xeno threat and wiping them out, like loyal Imperial citizens were supposed to do, they began bickering among themselves. There had been many old disputes and vendettas between the northern and southern continent and with no planetary capital to lead them, both minor governments thought they had the right to obtain absolute rule over the world. A civil war broke out.

This gave the Orks ample time to settle and find a solid footing of Gregoria. They built a base in the ruins of the former capital and began to multiply and prepare, striking out at the surrounding cities and other nearby islands.

It took a few years for the population of the planet at large to fully realize just how dangerous a threat the greenskins truly were. Unlike humans, waging war costs them almost nothing, as they could make functional weapons and vehicles out of useless scrap, sustain themselves without trouble in almost any environment and each and every one of them was a warrior born and bred that could fight as naturally as human could draw breath.

Were first there was just a simple horde of stragglers, now there was a green army, armed and armoured and ready to fight.

The civil war had weakened the Gregorain militaries and unlike other worlds they didn't have great Mechanicus manifactorums to produce war machines and weapons. They didn't even have standard issue lasguns for their troops, only slug throwers. What little blessings of the Machine God and its disciples they had had been destroyed together with the capital. So, they had to learn to adapt with what they did pocess, much like the Orks did.

It took the combined effort of the whole of Gregoria's remaining military forces to stop the initial greenskin attack before it gained any momentum. Reuniting the people again at last, but in many ways it had been too late as the Orks had gained a strong enough foothold that it was impossible for the Gregorians to get rid of them in one strike with what little forces they had left.

A war of attrition broke out, one that has been going on for over twenty standard Terran years by now.

There have been pleas for help to the rest of the Imperium of course. But with most of the sector fully engaged in a crusade against the Gorehead Ork empire that had come as a response to the WAAAAGH! years before, they had little time and resources to spare for a worthless mudball, since it would be cheaper to bomb it from orbit afterwards.

So it would seem that once again the Emperor only helps those who help themselves.

Lord Inquisitor Raldon allowed himself a small satisfied smile. This is perfect. He could not have asked for a better world if he had terraformed one from scratch. He presses the rune to open the private vox link he and his people share aboard this ship.

"Let Magos Farrion report to my chambers, and inform him that project: Soldier has now officially begun."

Chapter 1

I always hated hospitals. I'm not sure why but something about their plain, white sterility just really creeps me out. So some might wonder why I'm back here if they had discharged me just two weeks ago? Simple, I got a responsibility.

The small number next to the whitewashed wooden door told me that this was room 35, a piece of paper that has been slid in the groove below said number had a name written on it in permanent marker: Arthur McCansy.

It might as well have said: dread portal to the Warp, for all the chills it gave me.

I was shifting my balance from foot to the other, continuously repeating in my mind what I'm going to say, before coming to the abrupt realization that I was stalling.

Dammit Eachann, stop whimpering! You've made your choice and this needs to be done, so get on with it already.

I opened the door and peeked into the small single person bedroom decorated in the style of cheap hospital rooms everywhere. Most things were white, simple and somehow managed to look clinical rather than personal. Though for once this didn't bother me that much since all my attention was drawn to the small figure on the bed. He was sitting strait up staring aimlessly at the wall ahead of him.

''Hello Arthur.'' My words sounded hollow, even to me.

''How have you been?''

No reply. At first glance the pale, sweet looking features that were only enhanced by the white hospital scrubs, which all came together with the wild bush of golden curls to create an almost angelic image. But then you began to notice other things, like the bandages wrapped around the left side of his head, or how he was slightly scrawnier than is strictly healthy. But above all as I walked up to him and peered into his one remaining blue eye I just know almost instinctively, that there was no one behind them looking back at me.

The doctors had told me that talking to him would be pointless. Ever since waking up after surgery he hadn't responded to anything. But I owed him to try at least.

I sat myself down on a small wooden stool next to his bed.

''They told me you're almost recovered so I imagine you'd be as eager to leave this place as I am?''

Not even a blink.

I kept on talking about the other people of Slatevale that had survived the attack and the fire and how they were doing, and about the places the Stormland government had charitably called shelters we were now staying in. I am not even sure he is aware that I am here.

Not that I expected that he would have much to say to me even if he was running on all cylinders.

We've known one another since we were both children attending middle school. Most people tend to assume this automatically means that we were friends. Sometimes I wonder if adults automatically forget their own childhood when they grow up.

He had always been a small petite looking boy, especially a few years ago when he moved into town from a larger city further inland. The only child of wealthy parents.

I had never bothered picking on other kids before, because I never saw the point. But dammit I had to take care of four younger siblings because our parents were out working in Hill town mines all week while he could ride on his own damn bicycle to school. And every time I saw him I just got so angry, so jealous. I know it was wrong of me, that I was just being petty in taking out my frustration on him. Now more than ever I know. But I did it anyway.

And there I was, talking to the boy I tormented and hated for years because… Because I didn't want him to be left behind.

I sighed and stared at his unmoving face. When looked at exactly from the left you can hardly see anything wrong, but the doctors told me that there was little they could do to restore the severe burns that had mangled most of the right side. He would be maimed for life. He had lost his right eye and much of the nerves behind it, and there might even be brain damage.

All because of what those beasts did.

A new fresh stab of pain and anger punctured through the shame I had felt until now, as memories came rushing back.

''How did it happen with you?'' I asked him with my gruff voice. ''That thing they did to you I mean.''

I gestured at the scars on my face and the spot below my left eye where the bone seemed to have been dented inwards.

''We were having dinner, the family and me you know. Dad had gotten home early for a change because it was Olens birthday and we were all eating together.

Then there was that incredibly loud bang outside in the distance, later I was told that was when they blew up the watch tower. We were shocked at first of course, with kids screaming, parents shouting and soon after that the raid sirens went off.''

I hadn't told anyone about wat had happened before. My body began to twitch a bit as the memories came back, but strangely enough my voice remained steady.

''Now we all did like we had been taught. Mom and dad were both part of the militia, so they suited up and went out to town square like all the other wannabe fighters. Which means that they left me to, like always, take care of the little ones. So I got them lined up with the stuff they needed to stay low for hours and hid them in the back room we used to keep food fresh. Then I took grandpas old hunting rifle and went with them. This worked out for a while at least, as we sat there, just listening to the sounds of gunshots and explosions in the distance. Waiting for it to die down again.''

I shook my head.

''But it didn't, it didn't die down. Instead the noises only got closer and closer. Then suddenly there was this sound behind me.''

I let out a sad little laugh.

''I was so twitchy at that point, I almost shot my little sister in panic, good thing the safety was on. Olen had stood up, she was angry and screaming bloody murder that this was her birthday and that it wasn't fair and that it was all my fault and I should stop this right now.''

I let out a sigh.

''I told her to sit down and be quite of course, but Olen was always a bit strange you know? Sometimes she could get very angry over very little things. And then the only thing you could do to calm her back down was to wait and let her rage, until she got it out of her system. But I could not do that, since we were locked up together. And like her I was angry and scared. Not just because of the attack but because of my part in it. I was the oldest by four years and because of that I always had to look after the rest. And at that moment I was just so sick of being the fall in parent, locked in a room with all their crying and whining! And so…''

The words almost hurt as they spilled out.

''And so I shouted back at her. At the top of my lungs, I screamed that for once she would just shut up and listen to me. And she screamed more and that set the rest off, we yelled at each other for I don't know how long. Then there was this crashing sound from the front door and we all finally shut up. And then the Orks came in.''

''There were these incredibly loud savage screams from the front door. I told my brothers and sisters to run for it and head out the back door while I went to try and hold them off in the hallway. Not sure how far they got in the end. The Orks had smashed the door apart like it was made from thin porcelain instead wood. The only reason I wasn't cut down on the spot as soon as I walked in was because the two hulking oafs were both trying to squeeze through a far too narrow doorway at the same time. They were shouting at one another whilst I was fumbling with the safety of my gun. I was so scared at this point that I couldn't remember if it was on or off. Then one pistol-whipped the other and charged me. I shot him. He staggered for a second and I'm quite sure his guts came spilling out, but he barely seemed to notice this and leapt at me again. I think my second shot might have hit him in the arm, but I'm not sure to be honest, he wobbled a bit but seemed to barely lose any momentum. Then that green hulking pile of meat, bull rushed me in the gut and threw me on the floor.''

I shook my head.

''that thing was just so Emperor-damned strong. I couldn't move it an inch. It swung a huge blunt-looking cleaver at my head. Fortunately for me it did it in such an arch that the blade got stuck in the plaster wall besides me. Not that that discouraged the Ork much, as it strangled me with one hand and beat me across the face with the other.''

I showed Arthur the various little scar lines across my eye and cheek again. The doctors told me there were a few cracks in my skull as well.

''After the first hit I saw all these white flashes in front of me, the second turned my vision red and with the third everything just went dark, I'm just kind of glad I barely got to feel that one.''

I got up and walked to the rooms only window, looking down at the street below for a few moments trying to reshape my pain numbed thoughts. I highly doubt those memories will ever lose their edge, nor do I really want them to. And the worst was yet to come. I observed the traffic on the street outside for a few minutes before going down to the most painful part of this whole tale.

''In the end I could only give my brothers and sisters a few seconds at most. I woke up again some time later and everything was quiet. My head and face hurt so much I could hardly think and there was a dead Ork lying on top of me. Its skull had nearly been cleaved in half. I think the other ork must have done it when it came in, and left me for dead afterwards. Why? I have no idea. Perhaps it was just pissed off at its mate for hitting it before. Orks are messed up. As soon as I could get on my feet and walk again I went looking for my family. I could not find them.''

I looked at Arthur again. This whole conversation had been increasingly painful but at some point, trauma just numbs your mind until you can't even flinch anymore and you just feel dead inside.

I recalleds feeling like that when I walked, half conscious through the burning remnants of what used to be my home town and looked at the things that I found there. Things that used to be friends and neighbours. All the while searching aimlessly for my family. In some way I missed that feeling, in some way I actually envied Arthur for not being able to feel anything anymore.

''I just found what was left.''

The Ork raiders had been the splintered remnants of a mayor naval assault that had been broken at the front a few months prior. They had crossed a lot of ocean in their ramshackle ships, a lot more than anyone had believed possible. But Orks do not seem to care much about what is possible or not.

The main force of the army thought they had accounted for all the survivors of the assault and had been too busy to doublecheck, so they just sent out a warning to all the nearby coastal towns and left it at that. No one had expected them to show op this far north.

To them our little village with its few thousand inhabitants had been nothing more than a brief pit stop to stretch their legs and loot supplies. We had fought for all we were worth but in the end they simply caught us by surprise and there were just too many of them.

Got to give credit where it is due though, Orks know their business well when it comes to plundering. In less than one night they ransacked the entire town, took whatever they thought they needed, set the rest on fire and then left.

The army annihilated the little rogue warband before it got too much momentum, but by that point they had already managed to do the same thing to two other small towns. Not to mention that much of the farmlands the greenskins had passed through had to be sterilized with fire and weed killer to prevent any Ork spores from taking root, putting a sizable dent in the harvest.

''They burnt down our home Arthur, they killed our families our friends, they took everything from us, including a big part of your face. Because that's what monsters do. And as long as Orks exist they are going to continue doing it. There are probably Orks burning down a village like ours right now. If not on Gregoria than on some other world. They are a plague on our world that only exists to destroy. So maybe we ought to do something about that. I don't know about you but the idea of killing those things is the only thing that still makes sense to me.''

I reached into my jacket pocket and pull out the reason I came to see Arthur today. It was a small simple flyer upon which in simple black letters was written that the Stormland national army's recruitment age has been brought down to 15.

I showed it to him.

''There are a few other survivors our age who are coming with me, some people you might know from school and since you are one of us I came here to ask you if you would join us?''

There was no response, not even a blink.

I didn't really expect one, but it still hurts.

I let out a deep sigh, that is part pain, part relief. ''Alright Arthur alright. I tormented you a lot because I was angry at life and I thought that you had it better. Which doesn't excuse what I did, and I am sorry. I hope you can forgive me one day, but I understand if you don't want to.'

I got up and walked to the door, feeling sad but also slightly lighter. I'm glad I got see him one more time and got to say what I wanted. I'm not sure what was going to happen to him now, and I wished that I could do more for him than just talk, but I had no idea how, which is another weak excuse.

I opened the door and turned around one last time.

''Sorry for everything baby face, farewe-''

''WHAT DID YOU CALL ME!''

If I hadn't seen his lips and face move I would have never thought that the voice could have been Arthurs. The words burned with an anger so intense it nearly scorched my ears, twisting my gut in instinctive fear to the violence it promises.

Arthur had turned his head towards me, his one remaining eye staring at me with an intensity that reminded me of an arc welder. For a second there I was stunned. Then I felt my face smiling almost by itself and I felt the need to suppress a mad giggle.

''Baby Fa-..''

Before I had finished my sentence Arthur had launched himself out of the bed and bull rushed me into the hallway where he proceeded to punch, kick and bite me with the strength and ferocity of true blind anger.

It was a good thing there was a strong nurse nearby to pull him off of me. Then after I had gotten myself patched up, with one bite wound needing stitches, I left for the recruitment office of the Stormland national army the very next day, with Arthur in tow.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

'Wow. Does this look like anything you imagined it would be?' she asked.

I shook my head, unsure if the question was directed at me but decided to answer anyway. 'Not really no, but then I wasn't really sure what to imagine to be honest.'

'Yeah… wait. Hang on!'

'What?'

'That doesn't make any sense.'

'What doesn't?'

'What you just said. I mean, how can something not hold up to what you imagined it would be, if you yourself weren't sure what to imagine in the first place? That's like one of those, what do you call it, one of those self-contradicting things!'

I tilted my head sideways to look at the pale, freckled, slightly chubby face of Keelin Ghallagher. The girl frowned back at me in an obviously doubtful manner. She was about my age and one of the five fellow survivors of Slate Town who I managed to convince to come with me to the capital to join the new child program. She had actually been the very first to agree to it.

Mind you there are moments…

'What are you talking about?' I asked her, my voice weary for what was undoubtedly going to happen next. I have known this girl and her arguments for years, I knew what was coming.

'Well,' she sputtered. 'What you just said didn't make any sense, one word denies the possibly of the other, it's all very illogical you know.'

I rubbed the bridge of my nose and suppressed the urge to groan. If I said something like: That is just the way people talk, this could go on for hours. So, the best thing to do right now was just dissolve the whole argument before it gained any momentum. Today was important.

'Ah I see. Your right of course. I am sorry for confusing you.'

'Alright. No worries.'

Keeling grinned broadly at me, then turned her attention back towards our surroundings as if the little debate had never happened. I did my best to ignore the sniggering of my other companions who, except for Arthur, all seemed to find this very amusing. Donnela gave me a wry smile and patted me on the shoulder.

'Better keep that in mind Eachann, they say that good communication is crucial in the military.'

The laughter started again while I suppressed the urge to sigh. That last joke had not been very funny by any sense of the word, but they laughed anyway, probably because of their nerves. So, if I could help relieve some of that tension by being laughed at a little than that was fine by me. Today was the big dag after all. We were finally going to do it, join up and become real soldiers. And I was not going to throw a fit on a day like this, especially not over something stupid.

I looked the brave four who had come with me from our hometown with a strange mixture of pride and a bit of disappointment. Quite a lot of Slate town survivors had decided to actively join the war effort in one way or another, as many of them had nowhere else to go. But these four were the only ones out of a nearly a hundred people my age who I had managed to convince to sign up with me for this so-called special unit. That stung a bit, especially since none of them had been any of my friends who survived.

We had not exactly been told what would make this child unit special, but I didn't really care all that much at this point. As long as I got to fight Orks and got to do anything else than just sitting around waiting for the war to end I was content. Heck at this point I would have gone to battle in a bloody pink dress if they had asked me to. As long as I had something to vent my hatred on.

Arthur was there of course, ever since his little wake up outburst we had in the hospital he had stuck to me like glue wherever we went, I had no idea why though.

He did not say much since the initial scream of outrage and when he did speak it was mostly in single syllables or grunts. I don't believe I have heard him talk a whole sentence since we left the hospital. This wasn't so strange by itself, as he had always been a quite one but that had mostly been out of shyness, I think. Now it was more like talking to people was a bother and he no longer saw any point in making the effort.

He did not seem all that bothered about his new appearance either and had made no effort to covering up the scar. If you glanced at the left side of his face, he still looked perfectly normal, but when he turned his head you saw it. The skin of his eye ear and lower jaw had been melted away, leaving behind only reddish pink scar tissue. The right eyeball was gone completely and this combined with the way the scar stretched tightly over his face gave him and oddly skeletal appearance.

Though personally I wasn't all that bothered by his maimed side, it was the unscarred one that slightly gave me the chills. He had changed completely since the attack and not just in the way he looked. At some point during the horrors of the Ork raid something inside him must have just snapped.

He never talked about what exactly it was that had happened to him during that night, but whatever it was it had caused him to go away somewhere, to some hidden place in his head. The doctors had told me that this sometimes happened to people under extreme stress and pain and that often there was nothing to be done about it.

I didn't know why Arthur had decided to come back to the realm of conscious thought when he did, but he must have left some parts of him behind on that hidden place. You could see it in the way he looked at people, his face as hard as marble and his eye as cold as ice. Nothing of the old sweet shy cry-baby was left it seemed. Or perhaps it was more the case of him having lost all his fear of the world around him.

It wasn't just me though, he also unnerved the rest. Donnela, my new girlfriend, and her sister Treasa, had at first been happy when I told them Arthur would come along with us to the capital. But now they tended to avoid him as if they were afraid he might bite them or something. Treasa had even gone as far as to complain to me and ask why I have brought him along at all? That had been a hard conversation.

Keelin was probably the most comfortable around Arthur. She generally tended to act perfectly natural around him and seemed to be on some kind of personal mission to make him laugh. The thing I always liked about her was that none of her attempts appeared to be forced. It was all just something she really wanted to do. Not that she ever had any success in her quest for cheerfulness, but that is beside the point really. The fact that she was trying at all to be generally kind to almost anyone despite everything that happened was a trait I greatly admired about her. I sometimes wish I could be like that.

The five of us had just stepped out one of the many buses that had been used to drive what I guess are about a few hundred people my age, from the capital of the Stormlands to what we had been told was one of the norths greatest training facility's: _The Crow's Nest._ It had been a long and noisy ride and I was happy to finally get out of that tin can so I could stretch my legs and look around a bit.

Like I said before, I was not sure what to expect when they first told me about this place but the images my brain had been cooking up beforehand weren't anything like this. The only thing I could image was something like the old sports field next to my school. But even while I was looking at it, I still could not figure out why the warp they called it The Crow's Nest in the first place.

This didn't look like my old school at all. Mostly because the schools that I know of weren't surrounded by four-meter-tall iron fences with barbed wire and regularly placed machine gun towers, although there are stories about certain boarding schools. Also, most schools don't cover as much ground as small city, because the Crow's Nest certainly did. When I first saw it in the distance, I mistook it for just another village. Except that most villages have acres of farmland surrounding it instead of open rocky fields and aren't completely made out of low, cuboid, office blocks. At least, that's what they looked like. Some of them did kind of look like my old school though.

We, meaning the five of us and at least six hundred other volunteers our age, were standing around on what appeared to be a main square of some sorts, paved with cobbles. Probably the central square if I had to guess. The building behind me was larger than the others and decorated with ornate buttresses and flags of various provinces. It might as well have the words: _'This is where the boss works',_ written above the door.

Soldiers were standing at attention in a long line at the edge of the square, surrounding it. Each and every one of them looking intently at the even growing group of people. They were unarmed, but they were obviously there to keep an eye on us. Can't say that I would blame them, because there is nothing capable of causing trouble like a group of nervous, anxious, bored teenagers.

There was a wooden stage in front of the large building, like the once we used to build for bands to play on during the annual festivals. Only this one is much larger and decorated with flags.

'I think that's where we are supposed to go.' I said gesturing.

'Perhaps someone will give a speech or something.'

'Really.' Treasa said in a mocking tone of voice. 'By the stage, we would never have thought of that. Good thing you are here.' Only her sister laughed at that. Keelin always knew the difference between laughing with and at someone.

I chose not to reply to her comment and headed straight towards the makeshift stage and the crowd that was already forming around it, with Arthur in tow. At that moment I didn't really care if the rest would follow me or not. The crowd got thicker the closer we got but none the less I manage to find us all a spot close enough to at least see the stage clearly. And then we waited.

They did not keep us long. Shortly after the last bus had left, the speakers on the podium let out a sharp drum beat followed by what sounded like a few sharp blasts on a trumpet. It would have been more impressive with actual musicians there, but as far getting general attention, it did a good job.

A small group of people, about five of them, walked out onto the stage. I didn't know much about military ranks and uniforms but judging by how neat and well decorated theirs were with various shiny bits and the stiff way they walked, it kind of reminded me of my old school's head teacher. At the time I could make an educated guess that these must be at least some of the people in charge of this place.

The most elaborately decorated one of them all, a man in his late sixties if I am any guess with a bristling silver-grey beard and hair, stepped forwards towards the microphone and addressed us all in a raspy but still somehow strong voice.

'Greetings all who volunteered themselves for this great project. My name is General Whitestone and I must admit that I am proud to see that so many of you were willing to join the fight against the Orks ahead of time.'

There was a general cheering and whooping from the crowd at this but Whitestone raised a hand and it quickly died down again.

'The reason why you have all been allowed to join the fight against the Orks two years ahead of time is related to what will make the company you will all be part of so special. It has until recently been considered highly classified, but I will now inform you of its nature since all of you have a very important decision to make. One that will influence the rest of your lives, however long it might be, greatly and I will personally see to it that if you have to make a choice like that at your age it will be a well-informed one.'

There was a stream of murmurs after this and I could hear Donnela and Treasa ask each other astonished questions, but the noise died down quickly when the General continued. 'You are all no doubt aware that five months ago after decades of silence the Star Empire of Mankind has finally contacted Gregoria once again. The ship that they sent, called _The Scream of the Void,_ is currently stationed in high anchor, orbiting above our atmosphere.'

I found myself nodding even though there was absolutely no reason to. We had all heard the news when that ship arrived, something that would probably go down in history as one of the most significant events in recent history. Perhaps even a tipping point in the war. It was the day that fundamentally proved that we were not alone out here between the stars. Some people had started to believe otherwise. They said that the grand imperium of man and its god emperor had been nothing but pious story's made up by the priests to keep us in line and loyal to the church.

War could do that to the way people thought about things. Especially since all the secrets of making contact with the forces beyond the stars had died together with the capital. _Gregors Fall,_ once the mightiest city on Gregoria. A place of legend. But according to the stories, it had been whiped of the face of the earth in a single day.

The vessels arrival had been a moment of great hope and celebration for our entire world and its people. _At last_ , we all thought, the Emperor has headed our prays and has sent its mighty armies to cleanse our world from the Alien plague. That story about the great golden man who looks out over humanity from beyond the stars, that the priests kept going on and on about was true after all. We are not alone in this universe after all and now this war is finally over!

You can imagine how much it stung when we heard that: no this was not the case. It must have been what a farmer feels like when after months of praying for rain a dark cloud finally does appear on the horizon, then only let out a few measly drops before dissipating again.

Only a single ship had come to aid and this was not a humongous war cruiser, capable of levelling entire cities from orbit and filled to the brim with well-trained soldiers and powerful war machines. No. The _Scream of the Void,_ though well-armed, was relatively small as far as imperial starships went and it didn't carry any soldiers or tanks. No instead it carried priests, priests and scribes.

A week after the ships arrival there had been a planetwide vox-broadcast in which the people from the Imperium would speak to us all. I still remember that day quite fondly, how the entire family was all huddled around the caster in the deep of night all still in our sleeping clothes. The air was so thick with tension and excitement you could cut it with a knife, a very dull one even.

And then the voice had come, deep and booming even over the crackling vox. He was Bishop Orrin and he told us many things about who they were and were they were from. They told us tales about the Imperium, about the great galaxy-spanning empire of mankind and about the god that rules it. It did exist, despite of what some people had begun to claim to contrast it, and we of Gregoria were a small part of it.

But then they told us that even though they were here to guide us through this darkness, and no other help would come. Because, the entire sector of imperial space in which we lived had been overrun with a massive greenskin invasion on a galactic scale and all the local forces of the Imperium had been stretched thin to fend them of. They had no forces to spare for this world.

Bishop Orrin also said that that we had brought this upon ourselves. We had failed to live up to one of the God Emperor's most sacred decrees: _Suffer not the alien to live._

When the Greenskins first landed upon our world all those years ago we could have annihilated them with ease. But instead, with our Governor gone, we turned upon one another In a greedy game for power. With the capital destroyed we all wanted to be the new rulers of the world and both the leaders of north and south Gregor believed they were the rightful heirs.

They started arguing with one another and argument quickly turned into conflict which turned into war. All but ignoring the infestation of greenskins right under their noses. After all, there were so few of them. What harm could they do? They don't even have any weapons of vehicles, only rubble of the old capital. What a bunch of complete idiots those leaders must have been. Yes, I know I'm writing from hindsight here but come on, those xenos just blasted the most powerful city on the planet the planet to dust and you still underestimated them.

There aren't many people alive today who still remember those days and how the north and south used to hate each other so much. But in the end, they didn't stop fighting one another until years later when a huge fleet of ramshackle Ork ships, (the once that float not the once that fly) came over the horizon from the remains of the old capital and attacked both continents in a great wave of green bodies.

This, claimed the priest, was the great sin of our ancestors, and the only way we could redeem ourselves was by cleansing this world of the alien taint ourselves. Or something like that at least. Long story short, they were just here to watch us and see if we were feeling guilty and resentful enough while remain loyal to the imperial faith.

Talk about a disappointing kick in the teeth. One that especially stings because a small part of you feels that you deserved it. Mind you this didn't stop me from cursing that priest to the warp and back, but still.

' _The_ _Scream of the void_ did not come here to liberate us from the Orks as many of us had hoped,' General Whitestone continued. 'has none the less been a great help in the war since. From orbit it has provided invaluable strategic insight about enemy locations and defences. The scholars working under Bishop Orrin have provided us with valuable information about the enemy that even we did not know yet, as well as being a great reinforcement for morale. And most of all, though the vessel is no true warship and has only a limited supply of ammo, what fire support it has been able to provide has been of great value in the war effort so far. But the greatest help it will be able to give Gregoria is the reason you are here. Namely in strengthening our soldiers.'

I raised both eyebrows, what the warp did he mean by that?

'The Tech-priest, the true technological masters of the imperium, know countless great and powerful secrets, some that a primitive world like our own can't even begin to imagine. There are Tech-priests aboard _The Scream of the Void_ and they have come to share once such a secret with us.'

'They can make you,' he gestures broadly at all of us, 'into better soldiers than you can ever hope to be on your own. Bless you with the powers of the machine that go well beyond the limited abilities of a mere human. They can make you faster, stronger, capable of hitting a bird in mid-flight with nothing but a thrown rock!'

My mouth dropped open. What? That is what they meant by s _pecial_ regiment! I just thought we would be a test show the world that young people could fight just as well for the sake of their world. That now was the time to cross that line in order to win this war. Not that we would be made into something as ridiculous as super soldiers, there had always been stories about the impossible skill of the Tech-priests but this was something strait out of a comic book!

'But,' Whitestone's face darkened at this point, as if he just smelled something rancid.  
'this gift cannot be bestowed to fully grown man and woman, only to the young. So that is the decision you are all going to have to make.'

He gestured towards two large buildings on the right side of the plaza, clearly marked with the large numbers One and Two.

'Those that join the first regiment will receive these enhancements together with one and a year and a half of the best training we can give you. You will be a fighting company made to give Orks hell and hurt them where they need to be hurt the most.'

'If you do not want this, which is something I fully understand as it is a heavy and dangerous responsibility after all, you will join the second regiment and learn to be a support unit for the front lines. Providing crucial things like supplies, medicine and rations to the fighting man and woman until the time has come for you to receive the rest of your training into full soldiers.'

'This is a big decision that will influence the rest of your lives so take your time and feel free to ask for further information at any of the stations. But keep in mind that once the decision has been made, there is no turning back.'

And without uttering another word or as much as nod in our direction he turned left and walked of the stage. Talk about dropping the bomb.

Arthur gave me one vaguely questioning look, tilting his head in a microscopic beckoning gesture and then walked off towards building One without as much as a single glance back. Message clear. I made to follow him but felt a tug on my arm.

'Where are you going?' Donella asked staring at me intently.

I couldn't just walk off like that; the building is not going anywhere soon and these girls came all the way with me. At least I should properly say goodbye, I owed them that much.

'Well I can honestly say I did not expect this when I first read that recruitment poster all those weeks ago. But for me the choice seems quite clear. I came here to kill Orks! I'll understand if you don't all feel that way but keep in mind that even if you choose the second option you will have to fight eventually.'

'Are you nuts?' Donella's eyes were so wide I could see the white all around them. 'You're just going to leave us behind and let a bunch of off-world freaks do whatever they want your body?'

I paused for a brief second then nodded. 'If it means that I can help rid Gregoria of Orks better than any other and stop more villages like ours from being burned down? Then yes!'

'Don't give us that grox shit.' Treasa calls out. 'You've said yourself you just want to kill as many Orks as possible so you abandon Donella and me after dragging us all the way here to this madhouse. You warped bastard! What kind of boyfriend are you?'

I looked at her for a brief second trying to control my anger, then I smiled.

Yes, you are right. Part of the reason I'm here is because getting payback against those things is all I can think about really. I won't deny that. But don't go blaming me for you being here, you are here because you had nowhere else to go. Simple as that.'

I turned towards Donella. 'And you are mad because you think the person you have been relying on for support is walking away. Nothing more. This is my choice and you two can learn to walk on your own damn legs for once.'

'Fine you stupid brute, go get killed! See if we care.' Her sister sneered. 'Our best friend Keelin won't abandon us!'

'Best friend.'

Keelin, who had been quietly staring at the sky during our little argument, suddenly looks down at the two sisters.

'That's the first time you have called me that.'

I never would have imagined that the always cheerful Keelin could sound so cold.

'As far as I know best friends don't make fun of one another behind their backs,' she said with a chilling smile on her face. 'You two are a real pair of suckerfish you know that? Come on Eachann, let's go!'

After that the two of us walked after Arthur into building one without looking back. I know a lot of arguments can be made both for and against what I did, and some of you reading this might think that I am a bit jerk for leaving them behind like that. You are free to do so of course, the last thing I will say about that whole affair is that in my experience good relationships are not supposed to end with you feeling like a large weight has just been lifted of your shoulders. So there is that. 

_This was a mistake._

As I was lying on the cold metal table staring up aimlessly at the dark ceiling above, that consensus was one of the few clear thoughts my drug-dazed brain managed to put together. This had been a mistake.

The room we were all lying in was only very faintly lit but none the less I could tell it must have been huge, the size of a sports field perhaps. I am not sure how many other people must have been there lying on tables. A hundred maybe? Perhaps more, I couldn't even lift my head to check.

After a period of time that somehow simultaneously managed to feel like an eternity and the blink of an eye (don't ask me how, I was drugged and kind of loopy at that point) a door opened and people entered. The way they walked sounded downright bizarre though: many of them had heavy stomping footsteps, others had something like loud clicking skitter. I'm quite sure that one or two rows to my left one of the figures rumbled by on what I thought were small tracks.  
My drug dazed mind could note these things but beyond that, didn't really know what to do with them. I couldn't draw much of a conclusion from them other than a vague sense of: _That's not right!_

One pair of heavy stomping feet stopped at my table and through the daze I could see a figure leaning over me. It looked strange, dressed in robes whose colour I couldn't really make out in the twilight, it had an inhuman stillness about its posture like a statue and what I could have sworn were glowing lights underneath its hood where its eyes should have been.  
I can assure you that at this point my brain was really trying its best to be scared but it somehow just was not happening.

A light next to my table flicked on and I managed to wince and groan a little as my eyes burned. This must have startled the creature because it let out a rasping breath and stepped away from my table. Then there were a bunch of metallic clicking sounds as it stepped back, before it let out a horrible series of screeching noises that sounded like a haunting combination of radio static and nails over a chalkboard. A second later his call was answered with an equally horrific sound from somewhere far away in the room to my right.

As the figures made teeth wrenching pleasantries with each other I managed to squint open an eye and look at it. The robes as it turns out were a rusty hue of crimson, I didn't take too much not of this though for I was too buzzy paying attention to its face. For what I could see, the things jaw had been replace with some kind of grill. One of the eyes looked like a telescope lens and the nose had been cut off. The remaining flesh was an unhealthy shade of grey.

I would have screamed if I could and given the time, I might have but then a metal tentacle appeared out from somewhere beneath the robe and stabbed me in the neck. It must have had a syringe or something attached to it because what remained of my consciousness rapidly began to fade. The last though I had before it all turned black was that this really had been a mistake!


End file.
